The Experience

Not only see the big-sights (mentioned in tourist guides)
but also experience and gain a more insightful look into
India’s traditions;

Have the opportunity to learn and see the application of
some of the most renowned and prized theories in the world of
development;

Experience an unusual cultural program (make your own arts
and crafts, cook with villagers, work the field, ride on a bullock
cart, fetch water from a well, stay with Indian families, visit the
biggest (and “richest”) slum in the world, etc. )
and live a day in the life of your hosts;

Have a first-hand experience of life in villages and how
its inhabitants are creatively finding solutions for their development;

Experience the genuine hospitality of rural people;

Interact with different people to gain a new perspective of
the world and deepen their understanding of humanity;

Observe how the concept of gender is transforming Indian
society and how women in rural areas are becoming successful
entrepreneurs;

Observe how innovative technology developed by our local
partners is applied to rural settings;

Witness the current social transformation that is taking
place in India, a society in the past dominated and restricted by the
caste system;

Observe how very little money can go a long way in
developing countries and how an extra dollar a day can make a
difference to a family living under the poverty level;

Learn how NGOs function to improve the life of rural
habitants;

Have an opportunity to give something back to the villages
being visited (“participatory philanthropy”) and
get periodic updates about your contribution via our regularly updated
websites upon return;

Support ecologically and socially sustainable rural
development;

Return home with not just photographs and memories but a
more personal sense of gratification for having given back to the host
country;

Be able to donate time and skills; and

Raise awareness and bring back information to their own
communities to shed light on some of the issues faced in countries
where the distribution of income is disparate.

If there is anything else you would
wish to experience in India, and which is not already on the list, please
let us know and we will try our best to organize it for you.
You can read about the experiences participants’ had during
our last trip at
the blog or watch
a video.